Whats going in the winter basket?

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Whats going in the winter basket?

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Ipso-phyto

Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 28

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 2:34 pm Post subject: Whats going in the winter basket?

Because I just got back from a foraging walk with a few people in Oxford and we were harvesting leaves from Anthriscus sylvestris (wild chervil), Sonchus asper (perennial sow thistle), Sonchus oleraceous (smooth sow thistle), Bellis perennis (daisy), Taraxacum officinale (dandelion), an unknown Allium, possibly crow garlic, Cardamine hirsuta (Hairy bitter-cress), Lamium purpureum (red dead nettle), Capsella bursa pastoris (Shepherds purse), as well as the last of Taxus baccata berries (Yew), some medlars (Mespilus germanica), plus leaves from Stellaria media (chickweed), Aegopodium podagraria (Ground elder), Centranthrus ruber (red valerian), and Cymbalria muralis (ivy leaved toadflax), with a lovely garnish from some gorgeous yellow Mahonia x media flowers and orange Berberis darwinii flowers...

Winter salads rock!

Nationwide foraging walks and courses all year round from www.ipsophyto.com

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 2:37 pm Post subject:
I thought that Yew was toxic. Edit: Not the flesh of the fruits apparently PFAF

yummersetter

Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 3241
Location: Somerset

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 3:07 pm Post subject:
Not criticising your basketful in any way, but please, foragers, leave as many berries as you can for the wild birds this winter. They've had a tough spring and are heading for a hungry winter

fungi2bwith

Joined: 08 Nov 2007
Posts: 167
Location: NE Hants

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 3:44 pm Post subject:
The only one from that list I've picked recently is chickweed, but then I've still got lots of sald leaves in my garden and greenhouse. There are still some mushrooms around in the woods, in the last two days I have collected loads of winter chanterelles, a cauliflower fungus and a couple of hedgehog fungus'

jamanda
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 22 Oct 2006
Posts: 35057
Location: Devon

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 3:59 pm Post subject:

yummersetter wrote:

Not criticising your basketful in any way, but please, foragers, leave as many berries as you can for the wild birds this winter.

They've had a tough spring and are heading for a hungry winter

I was just thinking this. There are no holly berries to be had.

Ipso-phyto

Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 28

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 4:17 pm Post subject:
Aye good point on the berries, which in hindsight i could have mentioned...the same can be said for picking flowers, or other parts of a plant or organism for food..leave some for the rest of the web of life... I tend to pick flowers or berries such as yew or berberis for their colour splash in a salad bowl, rather than looking for quantities. its the little things in life eh?

Green Rosie

Joined: 13 May 2007
Posts: 10498
Location: Calvados, France

Posted: Sun Dec 09, 12 6:47 pm Post subject:

Ipso-phyto wrote:

I tend to pick flowers or berries such as yew or berberis for their colour splash in a salad bowl, rather than looking for quantities. its the little things in life eh?

IMPORTANT Can I please just add that for any newbies to foraging that unless you know what you are doing parts of the yew berry and all of the foliage are deadly poisonous. If you are not sure what bits of the yew you can safely eat please leave this plant well alone.

Ipso-phyto

Joined: 28 Jul 2011
Posts: 28

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 12 7:43 am Post subject:

fair point, i accidentally swallowed 3 seeds when wolfing down some food a few weeks ago and they passed through me ok. Yes indeed newbie foragers, ALWAYS ALWAYS spit the seeds out, whilst enjoying the sweet splendour.

The foliage, unlike the majority of needle bearing trees, does not smell of much at all. I think we would all agree when saying NEVER EVER, EVER, make tea from the plant's leaves. Its so toxic, it may likely kill you (hence its use in modern medicine in producing anti cancer compounds such as taxane).
Wickedly exciting halloween cake decoratins though!

AnnaD

Joined: 12 Jun 2007
Posts: 2777
Location: Edinburgh

Posted: Fri Dec 14, 12 9:41 am Post subject:
I tried a yew berry a couple of years back while out with a foraging friend. It reminded me of glace cherries, but it then seemed to have a bad reaction with me so I won't be touching them again.

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